Hagia Sophia

Byzantine Christian Church

Mar 26, 2009 Lorri Brown

Hagia Sophia was built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian the Great, becoming one of the most elaborate Christian churches in Europe.

Perched at the crossroads of Europe and the Middle East, the great church, Hagia Sophia, stands as a reminder of the lost Byzantine Empire. Meaning “Church of the Holy Wisdom” in Greek, Hagia Sophia blends Roman, Greek, Persian, and Egyptian influences into one unique style. Until its conversion to a Muslim mosque in 1453, Hagia Sophia represented not only the heart of the Christian Orthodox Church, but also the wealth and influence of the entire Byzantine Empire.

In 532, during the Nike Revolt, rioting destroyed many buildings in Constantinople (today called Istanbul). After the revolt, a new emperor was proclaimed. His name was Justinian the Great. Justinian, a devout Christian, planned to build a church greater than anyone had ever seen. The church would be not only a place of Christian worship, but also a monument to the power of the Byzantine Empire. Its name was Hagia Sophia.

A New Beginning

Hagia Sophia was built directly over the ruins of an old wooden church of the same name. The new church would be far larger and more beautiful than the original. The unique feature of Hagia Sophia was its huge domed roof made of heavy black lead. The roof stretched one hundred and sixty feet into the air, roughly the height of a fourteen-story building. The outside of the great church was made of pale yellow baked bricks, held in place by red mortar. Each brick bore the inscription “It is god who founded this, and God will provide for it.” Hardly any wood was used in the construction of the church, because of the dangers of a possible fire.

Inside Hagia Sophia

On December 26, 537, the first church service was held in Hagia Sophia. Visitors entered through an atrium, or courtyard, where a large fountain stood. They then walked through the vestibule, or entryway, that ran along the western wall of church, like a long porch. Visitors then passed through one of nine doors that opened into the nave of the church. A nave is another name for the main body of a church. Inside, visitors looked up and saw galleries high above, stretched like long balconies, running the entire length of the nave. Great columns of green and white marble supported the galleries. Some of these columns came from temples in Egypt, Rome and even as far away as France. At the far end of the nave stood a beautiful golden altar studded with precious gems and covered with a great silver canopy.

Mosaics

Elaborate mosaics decorated the walls and ceilings of Hagia Sophia. A mosaic is a picture or pattern created by tiny pieces of glass or stone, embedded onto a surface. During Justinian’s reign, mosaics were simple, made mainly of glass and stone and covered in places by gold leaf. Most of these early mosaics were destroyed during religious turmoil in the eighth century. By the ninth and tenth centuries, richly detailed mosaics once again adorned the walls of Hagia Sophia. These new mosaics were far more intricate than previous ones. Artists began using terracotta and other natural stones, along with glass and gold and silver leaf, which brought a great deal of depth and detail to the images. Mosaics normally portrayed a religious theme, which would often include the emperor and empress, showing the link between church and state. One of the most beautiful mosaics preserved in Hagia Sophia is located in the gallery. It is a picture of the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist petitioning Jesus for the pardon of mankind. [image available at

The Great Dome

In the center of the nave, hovering like a golden shell is the great dome. Stretching 102 feet in diameter, the dome is encircled by forty arched windows. The windows allow sunbeams to reflect off the gold and glass mosaics on the ceiling, filling Hagia Sophia with an abundance of natural light. Even at night, this same floating effect was achieved thanks to thousands of lanterns hung on long chains throughout the nave. Because of all the reflection of light inside the nave, the dome appears to float in the air. In reality, the dome sits on the rectangular base of the nave, supported by pendentives, or curved triangles. The pendentives help to transition the weight of the domed ceiling downward, to massive marble columns.

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